36-40 OB Vol7#1 Apr1989.Pdf

36 Bildstein, K L. 1987. Behavioral ecology of CZarlt, RJ 1975. A field study of the Short- Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) , eared Owl, Asio flammeu.s Polltopiddan, in Rough-legged Hawks (Buteo Zagopus) , North America. Wildlife Monographs Northern Harriers (Circus ')'aneu.s) , and 47:1-67. American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) in Palmer, R S. (ed.). 1988. I-Iandbook of North south central Ohio. Ohio Biological American Birds. Volume 4: Diurnal Survey. Biological Note Number 18. Ohio Raptors (Part I). Yale University Press. State University, Columbus, Ohio. New Haven, Connecticut. Watson, D. 1977. The I-len I-Iarrier. T. and A. D. Poyser. Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England. Bruce W. Duncan andJanet E. Snaith, 10 Chateau Court, Hamilton, Ontario L9C 5P2 Book Reviews Nothing Gold Can Stay; The Wildlife ofUpper Canada. By W Fraser Sandercombe. The Boston Mills Press, Erin, Ontario. 188pp. ($19.95) A while ago I was reading the diary are given evocative and/or poetic of Elizabeth Simcoe, wife of titles ("None Gets Out Alive" for Ontario's first Lieutenant-Governor the chapter on squirrels and hares; (1792-1796), and was fascinated by "Trophy Meat" for the chapter on the numerous, interesting natural ungulates, etc.). In each the author history references. I thought it selects passages from a variety of would be interesting to go through well-known pioneer wri ters and her diary and other similar sources observers, including Catharine Parr and try to compose a picture of Traill, Phillip H. Goss (who wrote what the landscape of Upper about Lower Canada, by the way), Canada looked like, before Henry Scadding, Suzanna Moodie, development so fundamentally etc. With each subject area there is changed it. Accordingly, I was an editorial by the author, delighted soon after to hear that a summarizing the situation or new book, Nothing Gold Can Stay, expounding his views on the had precisely that as its purpose. To matter. Many beautifully executed quol.e from the introduction, it "is pen and ink sketches of the animals about how the land was when the and situations discussed are settlers arrived, how they used it distributed through the text. and abused it, added to it, took It is, ironically, the graphic and away from it". Sounds great, eh? artistic success of Nothing Gold Can Unfortunately, the book falls Stay - and it is a truly beautifully considerably short of the mark. illustrated and crafted package - It is sub-divided into a variety of that points towards its major failing. thematic chapters such as birds, Not nearly enough atten tjon was hun ting, fish and fishing, etc. Many paid to what went into this pretty ONTARIO mRDSAPRIL 1989 37 package. The relatively few bits of will become extirpated in Ontario hard fact kind of rattle around in because of industrial pollution, that an attractive but rather empty Northern Bobwhite were once space. Here are a few general numerous over most of Upper examples of the problems with this Canada, that the Fisher is extinct in book. southern Ontario, and that the only First, relatively few sources are breeding Bald Eagles in used and those tend to be the (southern?) Ontario "may be a few famous Rice Lake naturalists (the up on the Bruce Peninsula" shakes Traills, Moodies,Jamesons, etc.) or one's confidence in the factual Toronto area correspondents. foundation of the book. Where are the eastern Ontario Thirdly, I really get steamed people (E. Billings, W. P. Lett, W. when I see someone referring to Goldie, for example) and why so the natural environment as "the few from W. Pope ofsouthwestern ecology", as author Sandercombe Ontario? Very few newspaper does on page 10. It's a pet peeve, I references are apparent and not acknowledge, but such a one citation of the many important fundamental misunderstanding of articles and papers in earlyjournals such a basic term would surely such as the Canadian Naturalist and bother someone reading a book Geologist (1856 and on) or the discussing "the physics" or "the CanadianJournal (1852 and on) medicine" [sic]. could be found, let alone any of In a nutshell, this book is visually John Richardson's observations in magnificent but is disappointing as Upper Canada in the 1820s a source ofsolid, dependable published in Fauna Boreali information on the early landscape Americana in 1831. Surely these are ofsouthern Ontario. The passion at least as important as the and conviction of the author's ed subjective opinions ofuntrained itorials are not sufficient to balance settlers? After all, the author wants the factual errors, misunderstand to find out what the natural ings, and omissions. So it is that a landscape was like, notjust what fine concept remains unfulfilled. settlers thought it was like. Ifyou like artistic, Secondly, while the author's impressionistic sketches of the passion for the natural world and natural world and natural creatures, its creatures is clearly and sincerely you will enjoy the visual feast expressed in his editorials and his offered by Nothing Gold Can Stay. lovely and, at times, haunting The factual offering is rather sketches, his grasp of the larger meagre, however, and will leave natural history picture (past and those expecting a hearty feed of present) seems less secure. His facts with grumbling innards. statements that the Common Loon Daniel F. Brunton, 2704 Marie Street, Ottawa, Ontario K2B 7E4 VOLUME 7 NUMBER 1 38 The Tanagers; Natural History, Distributian and ldentificatian. By Morton L. Isler and Phyllis R Isler. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D. C. 404pp, 32 colour plates. Alas for the unfortunate Ontario a broad viewpoint, and the book Field Ornithologists! Poor, covers not only the conventional impoverished, deprived souls, they tanagers, ant-tanagers, shrike operate in an almost tanager-less tanagers, bush-tanagers, environment. No wave ofspring hemispinguses, chlorophonias, and . warblers can really compensate euphonias, but also the Swallow them for the fact that, at the very tanager, flower-piercers, dacnises, most, they have to make do with and honeycreepers. The bizarre three species of one genus. But out Giant Conebill is included, but all there, south of them, the other 239 the other conebills and the species of the most varied, Bananaquit are not. fascinating, and colourful group of Apart from a brief but birds in the world awaits anybody informative essay on the nature of with the time, finance, and tanagers, the book is almost entirely determination to seek them out. taken up with individual species The present book can only intensifY accounts. These consist of notes on the resolve of any red-blooded geographic and elevational range, birdwatcher to dojust that. habitat and behaviour, The first problem confronting vocalizations, a range map, and a any author writing about tanagers is list ofliterature sources (an IS-page to decide what, in fact, is a tanager. bibliography is giJen at the end). In There exists a whole crowd of some cases, such as the polytypic anomalous, puzzling species, Stripe-headed Tanager, different ranging from the unique thrasher subspecies groups are dealt with like Thrush-Tanager to the separately. No detailed plumage mysterious Pardusco, an enigmatic descriptions are given; instead, the little bird resembling a scruffY fall plates are allowed to speak for Common Yellowthroat, found only themselves. Some of the larger in a few upland woodlots in central genera, such as Euphonia and Peru. In fact, about 20 years ago R. Tangara, are the subjects of brief W. Storer wrote an excellent little essays located before the species review entitled ''What is a accounts. Tanager?", coming to the The authors have not attempted conclusion, as I recollect, that it was to generate new information; not an easy question. Fortunately, instead, they have collected, very in recen t years, biochemistry has comprehensively as far as I can see, resolved a lot of these taxonomic just about everything worthwhile problems. The present authors take that has been written about Ot\i'TARIO BIRDS APRIL 1989 39 tanagers, and then presented it in have never been described. These an ordered, accessible, and are not all obscure species found readable fashion. This is ofitself only in remote places, but include valuable; but especially worthwhile birds such as the Hooded is the fact that they have gathered a Mountain-tanager, Spangle-eheeked large amount of hitherto Tanager, and Fulvous-headed unpublished observations from the Tanager, which are perfectly note-books ofsome of the great common in their ranges. Equal virtuosi of present-day Neotropical gaps occur in basic knowledge of field ornithology. By itself this behaviour and habits ofa large justifies the book. number ofspecies, an unbearable All the 242 species are illustrated challenge which should send any in colour, and in many cases several birdwatchers worth their salt races are depicted if they are scurrying off to see their Bank sufficiently different to warrant it. Managers to borrow the price of an The quality of the colour plates is airplane ticket to Lima. Ifthe Islers' adequate, but certainly not excellent book stimulates tanager- outstanding; for somebody who has deficient Ontarians to wing their been spoilt by the incomparable way southwards, it will have served a artistry ofa Guy Tudor, they are a good purpose; but in any case I little disappointing. Nevertheless recommend it as an enjoyable, they are workmanlike, generally valuable, and comprehensive accurate, and entirely usable. account of a fascinating group of The book is, as far as I can see, birds, and a worthwhile addition to pretty well free of trivial errors. The the literature of Neotropical only obvious omission is the Black- ornithology. throated Euphonia, a very dubious species known from one specimen only ofobscure provenance, which is in any case probably a hybrid.

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